Chapter 16: Four Bowls of Fermented Zao: A little annoying, a little stubborn, and a little cute. ...
The moon slowly slipped out from the thick clouds, and two black shadows, one tall and one short, were cast on the concrete ground, following closely.
"Aren't you curious about who the woman was just now?"
"Not curious."
Compared to being curious about who that woman was, Luo Shu was more complacent because Fang Qingzhuo took the initiative to hold her hand, rubbing her knuckles to savor the feeling of their fingers tightly clasped together. Oh, and he even half-heartedly admitted that he was his girlfriend, even though his words were quite vulgar.
Fang Qingzhuo was not a worm in her stomach who could not guess the little girl's hidden thoughts, but he clearly felt that the atmosphere had changed. He had driven Lin Su away in a fit of rage and she had never said a word since then. Everything became self-evident.
The hem of his clothes was tugged at by someone behind him. He stopped and tilted his head. Luo Shu spread her hands towards him, her watery eyes full of expectation: "Didn't you say you had something for me?"
Lin Su's distraction almost made him forget about the important matter. Fang Qingzhuo reached into his pocket and was about to take something out: "This is me..."
Before he could finish his words, a plaintive male voice interrupted him, "Fang Qingzhuo, you made it so hard for me to find you!"
This was the second time his plans were disrupted in just half an hour. Fang Qingzhuo turned his eyes away in displeasure and looked at Zhuang He's unsettling face a few meters away.
During the half-time break of the game, Zhuang He, as Fang Qingzhuo's classmate and partner, ran off the court to watch the show. Sure enough, Fang Qingzhuo had slipped away with his men. How could he give up? He searched all the way outside the court and, as luck would have it, he ran into him.
"You left without saying goodbye. Do you have any sense of collective honor?"
After accusing, he met Luo Shu's eyes and after a brief pause, he immediately changed his expression and waved enthusiastically, "Hi!"
Luo Shu was made uncomfortable by his enthusiasm and felt she should respond in some way: "Hello, I'm..."
"Luo Shu." Zhuang He answered with a grin, "I've seen you on the BBS quite often."
"My name is Zhuang He. I'm in the same class as Lao Fang, so I'm considered your senior."
Then he brought up the whole issue, "When I was helping him delete the posts about secretly filming and rescuing people, I also deleted a lot of posts that slandered you. The campus forum was created by a few of us, and I was the administrator."
"..." Luo Shu hesitated and finally said thank you awkwardly, "That's really... thank you."
"No need to thank me." Zhuang He didn't care, bending his neck close to her ear, "Just tell me what your relationship with this guy is."
From the close attention at the west gate to the intimate contact on the court, Fang Qingzhuo, this iron tree, actually blossomed in his senior year. There is a saying that goes, a late bloomer.
"He's chasing you?"
The endless breath sprayed against her ears. Luo Shu was not used to being so close to the opposite sex except Fang Qingzhuo, so she shook her head to deny it and moved away to a safe distance.
Zhuang He didn't believe it, and continued to gossip: "Could it be that you are pursuing him?"
The two of them were whispering to each other as if no one was around. Fang Qingzhuo, who was feeling neglected, pretended to be indifferent and stood by to watch without disturbing them as they reminisced about the past. Although this was the first time they met, he was actually observing them secretly. It was not until Zhuang He's actions of getting closer and closer that he had no choice but to take the initiative to end this farce.
Without further ado, he forcibly dragged Zhuang He, who had no sense of propriety, to his side and said, "The match isn't over yet, so you, the referee, don't need to go back?"
Zhuang He touched his nose and mumbled, trying to get away with it: "Well, the referee has changed."
Fang Qingzhuo's ears were sharp: "What, you were kicked."
Zhuang He: "You..."
Fang Qingzhuo shrugged.
Luo Shu couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud.
After Fang Qingzhuo exposed him, Zhuang He simply stopped pretending: "It's all your fault for giving me such a big surprise."
She emphasized the three words "big surprise" deliberately, and then glanced back and forth between him and Luo Shu meaningfully.
Fang Qingzhuo was too lazy to explain and impatiently ordered him to leave: "Are you done? If you're done, go back to where you should go."
"Not yet." Zhuang He said, "Did you forget that we have a dinner party soon?"
Fang Qingzhuo had indeed forgotten about the dinner party: "I'm not hungry."
"You're not hungry, but what if our schoolmate is hungry?"
They both looked at Luo Shu. Fang Qingzhuo hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you want to go?"
Her stomach responded uncontrollably at this moment, and Luo Shu lowered her brows and nodded embarrassedly: "Fang Qingzhuo, I haven't had dinner yet."
Near the gymnasium, there was an inconspicuous late-night snack stall surrounded by a group of engineering men, with their schoolmates shouting non-stop. Luo Shu, the only woman present, looked like the moon surrounded by stars.
Fang Qingzhuo chewed a peanut and silently complained: She is quite famous, everyone at the table knows her.
As they drank and chatted, the conversation shifted from football to their plans for graduation. A bespectacled man frowned, "The job market is tough right now. It's hard to find a decent job. I've interviewed at several major companies but haven't received a single offer."
Another male protagonist in a sports jersey chimed in: "Outsiders say that with a degree from Shenzhen University of Technology and a computer science degree, you'll have a stable job no matter where you go. I don't think that's necessarily the case."
Some people sighed and groaned, while others were sarcastic: "Brothers, you haven't learned to accept your fate yet. Lower your standards. If you can't get into a top company, just go to a small one. We're not like Duan Ran, who has a doctoral supervisor as his father."
Only after hearing the second half of the sentence did Luo Shu understand the connotation.
Then the man put his hand on the shoulder of Zhuang He, who was sitting on his left, and sighed with a smile, "If all else fails, pack up and go to the studio run by Brothers Zhuo and He. Brother He will definitely not leave you alone."
"Go away." Zhuang He shook him off and joked, "Lao Fang and I have been scrimping and saving to develop the program. We practically sleep in the lab. We can't afford to pay a money-eating beast like you."
After saying this, Luo Shu looked at Fang Qingzhuo meaningfully, as if saying, child, how can you be so pitiful.
It was strange that the gaze glued to Fang Qingzhuo didn't make him feel uncomfortable, but rather enjoyed it. He saw from the corner of his eye that she had finished a portion of fermented glutinous rice, so he pushed his portion to her: "Don't waste it."
After three rounds of drinking, everyone got drunker and more drunken. One of them was so drunk that he didn't know what was good for him and insisted on pouring wine for Luo Shu. Fang Qingzhuo gave him a glare, and the man was so scared that he sobered up on the spot, holding the wine glass in mid-air, at a loss.
Zhuang He jumped out to smooth things over and took the glass of wine: "Oh, Lao Fang is not going back to school tonight and has to drive. I'll take the glass for him."
During this time, a message popped up on the phone in his pocket, but Fang Qingzhuo was completely unaware. Half a minute later, the other end rang directly. He took out the caller's name and said, for the first time in his life, "I'll go answer the phone."
As soon as he left, Zhuang He took over his seat and started chatting with Luo Shu.
Fang Qingzhuo returned to the table after a phone call, and what caught his eye was the image of Luo Shu, who was leaning on her head, swaying and in a daze. Zhuang He was also very drunk, sitting in the place where he left, patting his chest and laughing at the crowd who had fainted.
His face immediately turned black: "You guys forced her to drink while I was away?"
Zhuang He, with two red cheekbones, waved his hands in panic, trying to distance himself from the matter: "We didn't drink it."
Who would dare to drink from someone who is not very frivolous?
"How could she be so drunk?" Fang Qingzhuo argued confidently.
Zhuang He pulled his hair helplessly. "I was drunk too. I really don't know. Maybe... she drank it on her own."
"Then why don't you keep an eye on it."
Zhuang He took a few seconds to digest his words, and stuttered in frustration: "I... am not her... guardian, not to mention... I thought it was you, eating a meal with your eyes fixed on her."
Fang Qingzhuo was speechless and didn't bother to respond. He took Luo Shu's arm and said, "Get up. I'll take you back to school."
"My mouth is dry and I want to drink some water." Luo Shu resisted and struggled hard.
She's so hard to please. Fang Qingzhuo picked up the disposable plastic cup that Luo Shu used to drink water in front of him, put it between her two bright red lips and fed her. The liquid in the cup flowed into her mouth, but she spat it out before she could completely swallow it.
"Luo Shu, you did it on purpose." Fang Qingzhuo frowned and said sternly.
Luo Shu's facial features were almost wrinkled into a piece, but she still kept spitting: "Bitter."
Seeing this, Fang Qingzhuo was half-believing and half-doubting. He sniffed it with his nose and almost cursed, "Who is this idiot rushing Jiang Xiaobai into the water?"
At this moment, Zhuang He suddenly raised his hand and said with a big tongue: "Sorry, I think I got it wrong. I thought my cup... Eh? Where's my wine glass..."
As he was searching, he fell headfirst into the table.
Fang Qingzhuo was overwhelmed. He helped Luo Shu up, not forgetting Zhuang He, who was drunk as a puddle of mud. He kicked him in the calf and said, "I've bought the bill. You can go back by yourselves."
Pedestrians were coming and going along the road, and two figures stood out. They were staggering, their feet making the sign of the cross. She refused to cooperate, and Fang Qingzhuo ran out of patience: "Luo Shu, can you please walk properly?"
"No." Luo Shu was always outspoken when dealing with Fang Qingzhuo, and she became even more unscrupulous after the alcohol took over. "You carry me."
"wishful thinking."
Fang Qingzhuo was unwilling, so she held onto a telephone pole and refused to move.
From time to time, one or two passers-by would give me strange looks.
Fang Qingzhuo stared at her: "Don't act crazy when you're drunk."
"I didn't." He was drunk, and his voice was more than twice as loud as usual.
"Can you explain what you are doing now?"
"I just didn't drink."
Fang Qingzhuo turned his head away, too lazy to argue with the drunkard.
Seeing that he didn't believe her, Luo Shu clenched her fists and rushed to him in three steps to confront him angrily. It was not an exaggeration to say that she came to fight. Unfortunately, she didn't control her speed well and threw herself into his arms, bumping and bouncing back. Fortunately, Fang Qingzhuo was quick to hug her back and prevented her from falling.
Luo Shu took advantage of the situation, grabbed the zipper of his jacket, and stood on tiptoe to let him smell it: "You smell it, whether I drank it or not."
The distance between them suddenly shortened, and Fang Qingzhuo had no way to avoid her. What filled his nose was her usual floral scent, which was definitely not alcoholic. "Don't tell me you have a barbecue-induced fainting physique?"
"Lao Zao." She burped lightly to emphasize, "Four large bowls."
"Isn't it just two bowls?"
Her bowl and the one I gave her.
"Zhuang He brought two more bowls."
Fang Qingzhuo instantly felt jealous: "Oh, you eat whatever Zhuang He gives you. You like him so much."
"No." Luo Shu paused, unable to stand steadily, and simply leaned forward and pressed her whole body on him, "I don't like him."
At first glance, these two sentences have two meanings.
Fang Qingzhuo let her lean on him and asked, "Do you like it or not?"
The person in his arms replied, “I don’t like it.”
"Why?"
"He's so annoying. He spitted all over my face when he spoke." As if to prove her words, she raised the back of her hand and smeared it on her face, looking extremely disgusted.
People are extremely annoying when they are drunk. They can be roughly divided into three categories. One type has no self-awareness and loves to show off, such as the low-class guy who poured the wine not long ago; the other type is very noisy and talkative, such as Zhuang He and Guan Siqi, who are very careless and can't wait to tell all the stories of their ancestors; the slightly better ones are those who stay alone after drinking and silently vent their emotions, and Gu Yang is one of them.
Today he met the fourth type, who was a little annoying, a little stubborn, and a little cute.
The car stopped at the gymnasium. Luo Shu, limp from the alcohol, lay drowsy on his chest. Fang Qingzhuo lifted her chin and said in a tone of negotiation that he hadn't noticed: "If you can't walk, then I'll drive over and take you back to the dormitory."
She nodded.
"Wait for me right here, don't run around."
She nodded several times like pounding garlic.
Five minutes later, Fang Qingzhuo drove over, unbuckled his seat belt, opened the car door, got out and looked for the person in one go.
Luo Shu was still squatting under the electric pole, curled up in a ball, with her head hanging like a stray puppy, which made people feel pity.
He walked closer and found that in fact, it was not worthy of sympathy at all. Its little mouth opened and closed, and it muttered some unclear spell.
Fang Qingzhuo studied it for a long time but couldn't come up with any result, so he squatted down and asked her what she was doing.
Luo Shu looked up in response, her reaction was several beats slower than a sloth. The double flashing lights of the car hit her charming small face, making her look particularly white, making the moon jealous and the stars ashamed.
She stared with her bright eyes and fluttered her fingers a few times. After seeing who it was, she smiled and said, "There are ants moving. I'm counting the number of ants in a family, but I always count wrong. Can you help me count?"
After being stunned for at least half a minute, Fang Qingzhuo came to his senses and agreed in a daze.
He was counting ants late at night, but even with his best eyesight, he didn't see a single one. He couldn't help but wonder if Luo Shu was awake and teasing him.
I bent down and took a look, and saw that my eyelids were drooping.
Fang Qingzhuo chuckled and flicked her forehead: "Hurry up and get up. I'll take you back."
The pain from the finger woke Luo Shu up. She covered her forehead and slowly stood up, staggering like a weak shrimp. Fang Qingzhuo saw everything, stretched out his arms and turned into a gibbon. He didn't say anything, but his actions were obvious.
Luo Shu grabbed Fang Qingzhuo's arm and clothes, pouting her lips and explaining aggrievedly: "I've been squatting for too long, and my legs are numb."
The ending tone slowly changes and lengthens, like a feather sweeping across the heart.
"Stupid." Fang Qingzhuo continued to spew venomous words, but his tone was noticeably gentler. He pointed at a wooden chair not far away and said, "There's a chair right there. Don't you want to sit down?"
"But you told me to wait for you here. Did I listen to you?" Luo Shu responded immediately.
Fang Qingzhuo smiled and muttered, "Oh, now you're obedient."
Luo Shu didn't hear his mumbling, and murmured to herself: "What if you can't find me and worry about me?"
"I'm not as stupid as you." Fang Qingzhuo subconsciously wanted to hit her again but changed his mind while raising his hand and rubbed her hair instead.
In a daze, Luo Shu felt someone touching her hair. After the slight touch, her hair was not separated immediately, but was touched and shaken reluctantly.
Who else could it be besides Fang Qingzhuo right now?
It seemed that since the last time he took the initiative to squat down and carry her on his back, he was no longer the arrogant Fang Qingzhuo. When she said she hadn't eaten dinner, he took her to have a midnight snack, squatted down with her on the side of the road without any image, and cared about what she was doing. He would help her block the wine and give her things. Oh, what was he going to give her? I feel dizzy and don't want to think about it anymore.
Luo Shu smiled foolishly, that’s great.
She raised her head, unexpectedly holding up Fang Qingzhuo's handsome face, and looked at his outline affectionately through her drunken eyes: "Fang Qingzhuo, I heard from Zhuang He that you are very tired from typing code, and I feel a little sorry for you. We are also taking design courses this semester. When the time comes, I will do the art design for you, for free."
Her words floated into her heart with the evening breeze the previous second, and the next second the century-old clock tower suddenly rang out at ten o'clock.
It was a quiet and cool October day, and Fang Qingzhuo heard the clock strike eleven.
The author has something to say:
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Q: Why did it only take five minutes to go back and forth?
Fang Qingzhuo: Don’t ask questions that you shouldn’t ask.
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